Mother Charged With Murder for Cooking Sons to Death in Oven

A mother in Atlanta was charged with murdering two of her young children in an oven.

Lamora Williams took 1-year-old Ja’Karter Penn and 2-year-old Ke-Yaunte Penn and killed the two boys “by placing them in an oven and turning it on,” according to a warrant obtained by Fox News. A third boy, 3-year-old Jameel Penn Jr., was found by police unharmed in the same home.

Williams initiated a video call with the father of the three boys, Jameel Penn. He immediately called police when he saw his sons lying on the floor dead via the video screen, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

“After I’ve seen what I’ve seen, you know, I called the police,” said Penn.

Penn was separated from Williams but would visit the boys on weekends, WSBTV reported.

Williams told the police the boys were in the care of a relative at the time of their death. Williams’s older sister, Tabitha Hollingsworth, hinted at her sister’s mental health issues with WSBTV.

“She’s had issues from a baby, issues my mom tried to address with the state of Georgia.”

According to the Journal-Constitution, friends and family said Williams had suffered from mental health problems that were exacerbated by the death of her father when she was 19-years-old, and also from having to take care of four young children as a single mother.

Penn and other relatives said 3-year-old Jameel Jr. witnessed the crime and let them know what happened.

“He talks about his brothers. He knows what happened. He talks about it all the time,” said Penn.

Williams’ friend, Nessa Smith, said Williams called her first and said she “couldn’t do it anymore.” Smith said Williams told her the boys were dead. She told Williams to call police but she called Penn instead, according to the Journal-Constitution.

Neighbors told reporters that Williams often left the children at home alone. Smith said Williams quit her job a month ago because she couldn’t find a babysitter.

“Nobody could tell what she was going through,” said Smith via the Journal-Constitution.

Police don’t know exactly when Williams put the boys in the oven. The arrest warrant states they were put in sometime between midnight on Thursday, Oct. 12, and 11 P.M. on Friday, Oct. 13, according to the Journal-Constitution. Police removed the oven from the home as part of the investigation.

We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.More informationI accept×